Salute Your Shorts

[minor muppetz]

Who all is a fan of the old Nickelodeon series Salute Your Shorts? I really liked the show. I recently found that a limited number of episodes are on iTunes. While many Nickelodeon shows are available on iTunes in season sets, Salute Your Shorts is on iTunes in "volumes" (while the episode "Sponge's Night Out" is available on the iTunes release "Nick Rewind Volume 3"). Oddly enough, all of the episodes in volume 1 are season 2 episodes, and all the volume 2 episodes are from season 1.

I've also seen a number of episodes posted on YouTube, in multiple parts, but part 1 is always blocked. It seems there must be a problem with the opening theme. Though I've seen videos that had the audio playing but used different footage, and I've also seena video of, I think, the season two opening which was shot with the camera facing the TV. I don't really know what the deal here is... It's said that Viacom blocked it, but hasn't blocked parts 2 and 3 of the various episodes.

It seems it's hard to really know the episode order. It's obvious which episode's the first ("Michael Comes to Camp") and which one is the second season premiere (the one where Pinsky comes to camp... Or is it the tennis racket episode? That one's from the second season, but Pinski doesn't appear in that episode at all, though I always thought Telly's tennis opponent, Scotti Rex, looked similar). I've seen episode guides that just randomly list episodes. The Wikipedia page for Salute Your Shorts lists the episodes as if it's an official order, but then the Wikipedia "List of Salute Your Shorts episodes" page lists them in a different order. If only Nickelodeon would release season sets or a full series release of the show (there's only 26 episodes, so they could easily fill one DVD set), as opposed to the "volumes" releases on iTunes. It seems it's rumored that "The Wrath of Kahn Jr." is the last episode. I'd beleive it it true, though I don't know for sure, but interestingly, that's the first episode I saw.

I recall watching the show almost every day when I was younger (after the show finished production), and with only a small number of episodes and the show being on almost every day, it seems there are several episodes that I don't remember seeing much, as well as some I don't remember at all. It seems to me that episodes like "Michael Comes to Camp", "Sponge's Night Out", "Citizen Pinski" (I don't remember seeing that episode until I downloaded it on iTunes, and while the scene where Donkey Lips appears in sillohutte looks familiar, I remembered nothing else from it), "Dina and the Rock Star" (another episode I don't remember at all), and the "Dina Loves Budnik" episodes weren't broadcast often. Maybe they weren't, or maybe I didn't watch the show as often as I remembered.

I'd like to talk more about speciffic episodes, but that'll have to wait until later.

 

[minor muppetz]

I'd now like to share my thoughts on a select number of episodes (most of which I've watched recently, few of which I haven't).

Michael Comes to Camp

• It's mentioned that it's the first day of camp at Camp Awnawana, but is Michael the only new kid there this year? When Budnick and Donkeylips put Michael's shorts on the flag pole, Telly mentions "must be a new kid at camp". It seems weird that with a new summer at camp there'd only be one kid who hadn't been there before.
• That kid who almost gets the "Awful Waffle" treatment sort of looks like sponge, only younger. Is that the same kid who glued his hand to his forehead in the "Councilor Budnick" episode?
• At the end when Telly gets contacts, Michael mentions that her face looks different. I watched closely and I didn't notice any difference in her face pre- and post-contacts.
• With Telly only having glasses in this episode, I wonder if anybody who was introduced to the series with this episode noticed that she doesn't wear glasses in the opening.
• It seems Ug isn't given his nickname until this episode, when Donkeylips initiates the nickname after hearing his name as Kevin Lee. This is the only time I can remember Ug being called "Ug Lee". Were there other occurances?
• It seems Ug's not in much of this episode. The only times he's victimized are during the "UG LEE!" chant and when he accidently gets caught in the trap set up by the girls. We don't even know if he's aware of Telly's glasses being broken.
• I like how Sponge reacts when Michael admits that he took the girls' stuff, and claims it was all by himself.
• In this episode Budnick doesn't really have any redeeming qualities (he does help Michael and Sponge get out of the mess they are in, but by blaming it on an innocent camper). He seems to soften up a bit in later episodes.
• I wonder if Telly was aware that Dina and Z.Z. were going to trash the boys bunk while playing tennis against Michael. Seems that would have been a decoy, but then she also seems to genuinely forgive him. It also sounds odd that Z.Z. would point out to Dina that they have to trash the place before they get back. Seems more like something Dina would do.
• In this episode Michael becomes popular with the girls, due to him fighting Budnick (and because of his athletic skills), but I don't really remember him being too popular. Of all the boys he seems to have the most average personality. The only other time I remember him being popular with girls was in Donkeylips Loves Dina, where Dina hopes Michael would ask her to the dance (though Michael doesn't seem like he's interested in girls yet).

The Radio Contest

• Wow, Ug sure is mean! Budnick sells him aftershave that causes his face to turn blue, and he punishes ALL of the boys, not just Budnick. Though I guess it's semi-justified because the other boys were laughing at his misfortune, but they still shouldn't have to suffer as much as Budnick.
• Sponge has to answer one question in just four minutes. I wonder how he went from the boys cabin to the girls cabin, then to the phone, in such a short amount of time. And he mentions to the girls that he'd checked several books for the answer to George Michael's real name. All in four minutes?
• It's funny how when Ug pretty much threatens everybody because Sponge caused Ug's girlfriend to get mad at him, thinking nobody would confess, and then everybody except Sponge (who is sleeping at the time) stands up, with Ug seemingly not believing that "everyone but Sponge" did it (well, Michael was with Sponge when it happened). Seems there's a number of times when the wrong characters get blamed on the show.

Brownies for Thud Mackie

• When I was a kid I wondered why Michael didn't just tell Ug what was going to happen. Though it seems on many shows there's a "code of the schoolyard" (or I guess in this case "code of the campground"), meaning kids don't "tattle" on bullies.
• I wonder how many blank tapes Budnick brought to camp, because there seems to be a number of times when he uses his video camera.
• Watching this episode on YouTube last night, it does seem kind of sad when it looks like Michael is going to leave camp (even if it does mean escaping a bully), as well as how Ug feels about being a bad councilor (and when he confronts Michael about it, it seems like he is sort of being a good councilor... And this same person had previously punished Michale by making him hold two buckets for two hours, missing dinner in the process). I wonder if this episode was nominated for an emmy.
• TV Tropes claims that this is the last episode of the first season. I don't know whether that's true, but if it is, then it's ironic that Michael's last epsiode has him almost leaving camp and then coming back, only for him to leave in the next episode. But I don't know if there's an official guide anywhere online (anybody got access to Nickelodeon's files?).
• I don't know what to make of the ending. Michael comes back, all his friends decide to back him up, and then they all chicken out when Michael mentions Thud could easily beat any of them individually (really? Even Donkeylips?), and he ends up getting beart up after all. And the others just look at him, I can't tell if they really care.

Cinderella Play

• It's interesting how during auditions Budnick sings "Beans, beans, good for your heart", being stopped before he says "fart". Odd considering that word is spoken in the theme song.
• The guy in the audience who Dina dreads performing in front of looks like Pinsky. I haven't seen this episode in a long time, and can't check to see if it's the same actor.
• Throughout the episode Michael seems thrilled with the prospect of getting to kiss Dina, and keeps wanting to practice that. I haven't seen this one in a long time but from my memory Dina doesn't seem too thrilled... And yet she wants him to ask her to the dance in Donkeylips Loves Dina.

Donkeylips Loves Dina

• At the end, Donkeylips admits to Dina that he knew her note wasn't intended for him all along, though he seemed to think it was for him throughout the episode. I guess he figured it out deep down but was in denial.
• Donkeylips aslo says that he had asked around and knew that none of the other guys were going to ask Dina out. I wonder when he asked -- before he got her note? Before the dance?
• There seems to be a woman adult at the dance. Not often you see other adult employees besides Ug. I wonder if she was Ug's girlfriend.
• It's funny when Z.Z. tells Dina "You're popularity has gone up since you're beign nice to him, even though we know better". And I like Sponge's reaction after accidently blowing a fuse in the DJ equipment, saying that he's right 99% of the time but "it's little things like this that keep me from being 100".

Goodbye Michael, Hello Pinsky

• In this episode it seems everybody refers to Pinsky by his first name, Ronnie, but in other episodes they normally call him by his last name. Even though the title calls him Pinsky.
• Previously Budnick and Michael didn't get along at first, but eventually did (I assume in the episode Budnick and Michael Play Sick), but I don't think the series has any episodes where Budnick warms up to Pinsky. He hates Pinsky here, his opinion doesn't improve, but later on they seem to get along fine (though not in a duo way).
• I used to think this episode took place on the first day of camp the following year, as opposed to the show's two seasons taking place the same summer. And I wondered why Ug was concerned that the other kids might have gotten chicken pox.
• In the first episode, Budnick put one pair of Michael's shorts on the flagpole, but here Budnick puts a few pairs of Pinsky's shorts on the flagpole.

Citizen Pinsky

• I thought I read a description at either Wikipedia or iTunes that mentions Pinsky puts lies into the camp newspaper, but watching this episode, he does no such thing, though he seems to hint at doing so on slow news days.
• Dina gives Pinsky a talk about exposing embarrassing secrets about the campers being funny to everyone who isn't the victim. I expected some embarrassing fact about Pinsky to be revealed.

Sponge's Night Out

• This episode has two scenes where Dina describes what happened in a Garfield comic: "Garfield the Cat fell off the couch and said, 'AUGHHH'" I wouldn't have expected Dina to be the type to like Garfield, but I also don't find that description very funny (maybe if I actually read it, if it happened in ana ctual Garfield strip).
• Ug is given a night off once every four months (after Dr. Kahn had offered one night off per month). Of course unless the camp lasted more than the summer he'd only get 2-3 nights off. And I wonder who watches after the other campers when he's off. And I thought he had more night-off privledges (in "The Radio Contest" he calls his girlfriend telling her he can't go out with her because his face turned blue).
• Interesting how Dr. Kahn tells Ug that his night off has been cancled, but later it seems he got his night off back (unless he snuck out of camp as well), not to mention that he kept talking about taking his girlfriend Mona on a date but ended up not being able to do so.
• After using the phone service everybody but Pinsky leaves the cabin before Sponge comes back, and he knows that Pinsky makes a call. But then when Ug punishes Sponge because of the calls, Sponge says he doesn't know who made the calls. He couldn't call Pinsky out? And it's funny how all the other campers look away when Ug asks who else could have done it.
• But I guess Sponge eventually found out others did it, because Budnick gives Sponge theater passes as an apology for it.
• With the on-location camp setting, the theater set actually looks amazing (I'm sure the indoor camp locations were sets as well). It's such a break from the monotony of the show taking place at a camp.
• This episode has four guest characters - Sponge's date, Pinsky's date, and the two theater employees. And Sponge's date is the only one with dialogue.
• I know it's just fiction, but I hope Sponge and his date remained a couple after the events of this episode. Seems right. Of course I wonder if they both lived nearby. I also wonder how many of the kids on this show lived close to the camp (Budnick had passes to the theater so he should have lived nearby).
• Sponge gets so grounded that if he ever has kids who go to Camp Awnawana, they'll be grounded. I guess that'd be an ideal punishment if his kids ever need to be punished.

 

[minor muppetz]

One thing I noticed about the second season opening is that it seems to be shot better than the first opening. The individual verses with each character seems to be more decorated. But at times the second season opening seems like a step back a little.

In the first opening, at one point Sponge puts his hand on Budnick's shoulder, only to quickly take it off and Budnick smiles over it. But then in the second opening Budnick has to move Sponge's hand away from him. Seems like it should have been a learning experience for Sponge. And in the first opening, both Michael and Ug start singing and then forgetting their full lines. I feel that gag would be better in the second opening, where Pinsky sings his full line and Ug's singing gets interrupted by being splashed (resulting in Budnick finishing).

Also, in the opening, they obviously re-use the first season shot of Donkeylips saying "this thing came apart". He wore a different shirt in the rest of the new opening, but here it's back to the first season shirt. I wonder if they forgot to reshoot that part.

And at the very end of the theme, are they saying "US!" or "UG!"? I used to think it was Ug, then listened closely and think it might be "us" (would make more sense), but then I read the lyrics on a website which wrote it the way I thought it sounded, but then again I suspect the site was transcribing by ear.

 

[brkndwnbus]

I used to really enjoy this show. I remember always watching it after school in Nickelodeon. I have not seen it in years. I'm going to have to check episodes out again soon. But you might be interested in listening to a song by Rilo Kiley sung by Blake (Soper) Sennett who was Pinsky on the show. Rilo Kiley is a big indie band and this song is from 2001. Fans often refer to the song as "Salute My Shorts" in recognition of his time on the show. I would post it here, but it contains one instance of profanity, so I don't want to put it here. A quick youtube search for the song will bring it up though.

 

[minor muppetz]

But you might be interested in listening to a song by Rilo Kiley sung by Blake (Soper) Sennett who was Pinsky on the show. Rilo Kiley is a big indie band and this song is from 2001. Fans often refer to the song as "Salute My Shorts" in recognition of his time on the show.

I had recently read that Blake Soper later became a musician and changed his stage name.

 

[brkndwnbus]

I had recently read that Blake Soper later became a musician and changed his stage name.

And just as an aside, Jenny Lewis, the lead singer of Rilo Kiley, was also an actress. The band has split. Anyway, sorry for going off topic there.

 

[minor muppetz]

I wonder how old each character on the show was when the show was made. I assume they are meant to be the age that the actors are, but some characters (donkeylips, all of the girls ) it's hard to tell if they are elementary-school-aged, middle-school-aged or high school-aged (well Michael Bowers would have been in high school I think... a year or so before the show began he made a few guest appearances on The Wonder Years, attending the same school as Kevin Arnold, I think it was junior high at the time).

In "Sponge's Night Out" Sponge mentioned a time he asked a girl to the junior prom. I was surprised to hear that his junior prom already passed, because Sponge looked soo young on the show. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if he'd skipped a grade or more.

 

[minor muppetz]

I just watched Awnawana Inc. I thought I didn't remember seeing it at all, but then I saw Ug's fantasy sequence, which I previously thought was in "They Call Me Ms. Tibbs". The subplot of Sponge collecting items for a time capsule sounded familiar, but I thought that was just a plot in many kids shows at the time (and now I can't really think of any other shows that had such episodes... Well, now I remember a Happy Days episode involving a time capsule, and I know at the time it was advertised that Nickelodeon was burrying a time capsule).

 

[minor muppetz]

I found one of the Salute Your Shorts "Campfire Sing-Along" commercials, where they sing about Donkeylips.

Wow. I don't remember the singing being that bad, though it's hilariously bad.

There was another one about Ugh, I wish I could find that one (I remember the opening lyrics being, "Ugh! One time his face turned blue! Ugh! He likes to punish you!"). I wish there were more of these for the other characters.

By the way, anybody know what the song was that the Donkeylips (or the Ugh one) was singing to the tune of?

 

[snichols1973]

It seems it's hard to really know the episode order. It's obvious which episode's the first ("Michael Comes to Camp") and which one is the second season premiere (the one where Pinsky comes to camp... Or is it the tennis racket episode? That one's from the second season, but Pinski doesn't appear in that episode at all, though I always thought Telly's tennis opponent, Scotti Rex, looked similar). I've seen episode guides that just randomly list episodes. The Wikipedia page for Salute Your Shorts lists the episodes as if it's an official order, but then the Wikipedia "List of Salute Your Shorts episodes" page lists them in a different order. If only Nickelodeon would release season sets or a full series release of the show (there's only 26 episodes, so they could easily fill one DVD set), as opposed to the "volumes" releases on iTunes. It seems it's rumored that "The Wrath of Kahn Jr." is the last episode. I'd beleive it it true, though I don't know for sure, but interestingly, that's the first episode I saw.

According to the guide, Pinsky is absent from the "Dina and the Rock Star" episode in Season 2, which, according to the Wikipedia episode guide, aired on 6/8/1992, while Pinsky's debut was originally aired 6/1/1992...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Salute_Your_Shorts_episodes